A judge denied pre-trial release to a man accused of possessing a machine gun following a shootout during a gathering that left a 23-year-old man wounded in Antioch.
The Antioch Police Department responded around 12:43 a.m. Wednesday to the area of Hillside Avenue and Harden Street for a report of shots fired after multiple residents called 911.
Responding officers arrived at the scene, which is near Routes 173 and 59, and did not locate anyone.
They discovered several spent shell casings and unspent rounds of ammunition in the intersection, village officials said.
A perimeter was set up in the area with the assistance of several police departments.
Investigators discovered a blood trail during their search and advised area hospitals to be on the lookout for anyone who may have been shot, village officials said.
A Gurnee police canine conducted a track of the blood but it was lost near Hillside Cemetery, according to Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Vukovich.
Police were notified that a 23-year-old man had arrived at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with a gunshot wound to his elbow which required surgery.
The man was dropped off at the hospital by a white 2006 Infiniti SUV, Vukovich said, adding that the victim told hospital staff he had been in a bar fight in Antioch.
Detectives learned that two large groups had met in the area of Hillside Avenue and Harden Street for a prearranged fight stemming from an outstanding dispute.
Village officials said the fight began and a larger altercation erupted, at which point several people pulled out guns and began firing at the opposing group.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said Deputy Alex Pasiewicz heard the call and went to assist Antioch police while other Lake County sheriff’s units responded to check the area for the suspects.
The North Chicago Police Department, Gurnee Police Department, Fox Lake Police Department and the Lake Villa Police Department also assisted.
The Antioch Police Department obtained information that a white Kia sedan may have been involved in the incident.
Lake County sheriff’s deputies cleared the call but around 1:53 a.m., Deputy Pasiewicz was in the area of Route 173 and Main Street and observed a Kia matching the suspect description, Covelli said.
A traffic stop was conducted at Route 83 and Chestnut Street in Antioch. There were four occupants in the car.
Covelli said Pasiewicz spoke to the juvenile driver outside the car and it was reported there was a gun in the glove compartment. The gun belonged to the front seat passenger.
All four subjects, who were involved in the shooting, were detained and turned over to the Antioch Police Department, Covelli said.
Antioch Police Chief Geoffrey Guttschow said he is grateful for the assistance of the other law enforcement agencies.
“The fast response and thorough investigation by the Antioch Police Department and our partner agencies led to the quick apprehension and charges against the individuals responsible for this incident,” Guttschow said.
“As crimes such as what happened in our community occur throughout the suburbs, leveraging the resources and knowledge of our investigative teams results in arrests and safer communities,” Guttschow said.
A total of four adult males and a juvenile were arrested following the investigation.
D’Angelo Conver, 20, of Zion, and the juvenile, who is a 17-year-old Antioch resident, were each charged on Thursday with unlawful possession of a machine gun, a Class X felony.
The juvenile was additionally charged with a second unlawful use of a weapon charge, a Class 2 felony.
Prosecutors said Conver, who was allegedly one of the shooters, was the front-seat passenger in the Kia that was stopped by deputies.
The Antioch Police Department and the Northern Illinois Police Alarm System Emergency Services Team (NIPAS EST) conducted a search warrant around 4 p.m. Wednesday at a home in the 400 block of Route 173.
Several firearms were recovered by detectives during the search warrant.
Among the guns recovered during the investigation were two ghost guns, both of which were equipped with illegal fully automatic conversion devices, village officials said.
A ghost gun is an illegal firearm that is made from either parts purchased separately or produced using 3D printing. They lack a serial number, making it difficult to trace.
“This was a targeted and isolated incident between two groups. With all involved suspects in custody, there is no additional risk to the community,” village officials said in a statement.
The gun recovered during the traffic stop on the Kia was one of the ghost guns, Vukovich said. It had a “switch” rendering it fully automatic and was loaded.
The gun was wrapped in a shirt and Conver was shirtless when he was arrested.
Vukovich said a juvenile witness told investigators that the prearranged fistfight was over a dispute about a juvenile touching the other juvenile’s younger sister inappropriately.
The two groups gathered in the area when Conver fired a handgun at another male subject after that subject grabbed at his waistband indicating he had a gun, which led the second male subject to return fire, Vukovich said.
The shooting resulted in the 23-year-old man, who was standing by in one of the groups, being shot.
Vukovich said the 2006 Infiniti SUV that dropped off the victim at the hospital was later stopped by police.
Conver appeared for a detention hearing Friday afternoon after prosecutors filed a petition to detain him pending trial.
Lake County Judge Theodore Potkonjak granted the petition and remanded Conver, who has a prior gun conviction as a juvenile, to the Lake County Jail after finding the man a danger to the community.
The juvenile arrested was transported to the Hulse Juvenile Detention Center in Vernon Hills. His custody status is unknown.
Additional charges are possible against others involved, village officials said.
No one has been charged with actually firing the guns yet. Ballistic and forensic analysis from the crime lab is pending.
Conver is scheduled to appear in court again on August 27 for a preliminary hearing.